Huntsville gazette., 1887-02-12
COUNTRY BUTTER.
Words Of Advice for Farmers Owning But
Small Number Of Cows.

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The makers Of bogus butter have al
ways had strong point in their favor
in their war upon the dairymen in the
fact that their simulated product was
more agreeable TO the senses than the
common grades Of butter, and was not
SO repulsive in its use as an article OF
food. 1t must be admitted that fresh
butterine and margarine are free from
the serious objection which appertains
to poor butter on account of its rancid
odor and disgusting taste, and are pre-
sented to the public in very agree
able form This fact has given much
advantage to the fraudulent butter
makers, and had they honorably and
honestly put their products on the
market as what they really are, they
would have met with no serious oppo-
sition from the dairymen. On the other
hand. they would have had such 4
market rs they could have made for
themselves without interference from
any person. But even then they would
have do doubt driven from the market
that grade of butter which is known as
country store butter. and which is
necessarily put through process of
deodorizing. cleansing. mixing and
milling before it can be offered for sale.
This product Isl stigma upon the dairy
on account of its wretched quality. but
what is more it is a great loss to the
farmers who make it. for il is sold for
One-half or less of the value Of ordinary
good farm dairy butter. 1t is a serious
question, which should be well dis
cussed for the benefit of those con-
cerned, how this product can be bet
tered in quality and increased in value.
II is made by those farmers who
keep a few COWS only and have
not enough butter to pack into tubs in
the usual manner and to store it until
the fail. Two or three cows only are
kept. and the butter from these, with
the eggs from the poultry, are traded
off 1T the country stores for the family
groceries and some dry goods. shoes,
etc. The store-keepers who handle
this butter are to blame for much Of its
poor quality, for the reason that they
pay no more for the good which comes
are careful to dispose of the best at
higher prices to favored purchasers
who ask to have it kept for them.
The butter brought to the stores in
rolls, or cakes. in small quantities Of
few pounds and varying from the pal
est yellow Of the uncolored to the deep
orange tinted Of the high coored, is all
mingled in mass until enough is accu-
mulated to put it through the mill in
which it is ground and squeezed into
thready, stringy condition so as to mix
it sufficiently to get the color even.
The butter is washed and resalted with
mixture of salt, saltpeter and sugar,
or with some patent deodOrizing sub
stance having borax for its basis, and
is then packed for market. Perhaps
this rs the best that can be done with it,
and the store-keeper who gets a fair
profit on each side of the trade is salts
fed. But the farmers, who are the
losers. should l.c informed how they
may do better. The creamery system
has worked a great and favorable
change in this respect. Where
creamery has been established the
farmers have doubled their income
ten to twelve cents or less pound for
their poor butter in trade they have re-
ceived twenty or twenty-five. less the
cost of collecting the cream and max
ing the butter, in cash. and the
difference in the income in Il
few years has lifted whole dis
tricts from. poverty to comfort and
even affluence. Clearly the introduce
tion of the creamery system IS one way
out Of this poor store butter business.
Another way out Of it is for the farm
ers to read and study the art Of making
butter. Then to provide better facilities
for caring for the COWS. milk and
cream, and to adopt the best methods
Of making butter. System is the great
thing wanted. from the stable to the
churn. System in feeding and manag
ing the COWS; systematic cleanliness; a
good system of setting the milk and
keeping cream in clean, cool dairy,
and regularity in churning, with 4 per-
feet system of keeping up or down the
temperature.
When by perseverance in this new
way good butter is made in regular
stated quantity the year round.
private purchasers. some families in the
village, should be secured who are
always ready to take very eagerly the
good butter brought To them on stat
ed day in stated quantity every week,
50 that the supply can be relied upon
constantly, and are willing to pay
twice as much in cash as the store pays
in trade for it. This the writer knows
may be done, for he has passed through
this experience, having climbed the
ladder of the dairy from the lowest
rung, which is the village store, to a
considerably higher one where private
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